1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an absorbent article for absorbing body fluids and exudates, such as urine and fecal material. More particularly, the present invention relates to absorbent garments, such as disposable diapers and adult incontinence garments, which are configured to collect and contain fecal material and avoid leakage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, employ absorbent materials located between a liquid pervious bodyside liner and a liquid impermeable outer cover to absorb body exudates. Such conventional absorbent articles have also typically included elasticized waistbands and leg cuffs to help reduce the leakage of body exudates.
However, many of such conventional absorbent articles have not been completely satisfactory. In particular, many of such conventional absorbent articles have not completely contained or isolated the body exudates within the article during use thereby undesirably resulting in body exudates contacting the skin of the wearer. Such contact has been known to result in irritation of the skin of the wearer. For example, a common problem associated with the care of infants has been diaper rash which is at least partially caused by the contact of body exudates, including both fecal material and urine, with the infant's skin. As a result, there remains a need to better isolate body exudates from the skin of the wearer to reduce the level of skin irritation.
Moreover, the inability of many conventional absorbent articles to contain body exudates within the article has undesirably resulted in leakage which has soiled the clothes of the wearer. The leakage problem has been particularly evident in the leg and waist regions of such absorbent articles when runny or watery fecal material has been excreted by the wearer during use. Typically, the runny or watery fecal material has been forced laterally and longitudinally outwards from the crotch of the article towards the leg and waist regions of the article due to the forces exerted by the wearer. Such problems are magnified when the wearer is particularly active and continually exerts pressure on the crotch area of the article. The leakage problem has also occurred because such fecal material, which has an affinity for the skin, has come in contact with the skin and traveled along the skin of the wearer through the leg and waist openings. Thus, in many conventional absorbent articles, body exudates have not been sufficiently contained and controlled within the absorbent article.
Some conventional absorbent articles have included elasticized components and containment or barrier flaps at the leg and waist regions of the article to reduce such leaks. However, such elasticized components and containment flaps have not always isolated the body exudates from the skin of the wearer and eliminated leakage from the leg and waist regions of such articles. For example, exudates such as runny fecal material have remained on and been transferred along the skin of the wearer until they escape through small openings between the containment flaps and the body of the wearer. Such openings between the body of the wearer and the containment flaps have been caused by improper fit of the article about the wearer and the movements of the wearer during use.
Other conventional absorbent articles have included bodyside liners with holes therein which are configured to allow fecal exudates from the wearer to pass through the liner. However, such bodyside liners with holes therein have not been completely satisfactory. For example, frequently the hole in the bodyside liner of such conventional articles does not maintain correct alignment with the anal opening of the wearer to receive the fecal exudates. Such a problem has been particularly severe when the wearer is active. As a result, fecal exudates may not go through the hole and may instead undesirably remain in contact with the skin of the wearer on the bodyfacing surface of the bodyside liner. In an effort to solve this problem, several conventional absorbent articles have included larger holes in their liners to ensure that the hole is in position to receive the exudates. However, as the size of the hole increases, the amount of fecal exudates which remain in contact with the skin of the wearer also undesirably increases.
As a result, although such leg elastics, containment flaps and bodyside liners have improved the performance of such articles, there remains a need to further reduce the number of leaks of body exudates from the leg and waist regions of such absorbent articles. There further remains a need to better isolate the fecal exudates between the bodyside liner and the absorbent body of the articles to reduce the contact between the skin of the wearer and the fecal exudates during use for improved skin wellness.